The officer, Christopher Matlosz, 27, was shot in the head on Friday afternoon after he stopped a pedestrian for questioning on August Drive.
Elsewhere in the city, the war on jaywalking came and went, but it is alive and well on Queens Boulevard where in late January police began an aggressive crackdown on jaywalking in an effort to stop a rash of pedestrian deaths.
As a merchant on Garnet Avenue in Pacific Beach, I have never once seen the police stop, much less ticket, a driver for failure to stop for a pedestrian.
16 crosswalk or pedestrian right of way cameras to catch drivers who fail to stop for a pedestrian.
The driver of the pickup was charged with failure to stop for a pedestrian in a crosswalk.
In theory, the idea was that drivers were legally obliged to stop once a pedestrian was actually on the zebra and crossing the road.
Most motorists readily stop once a pedestrian steps on to a crossing - though on busy ones it is advisable to make eye contact first, and it does no harm at all to acknowledge the courtesy afterwards.
It can, for example, automatically stop if a pedestrian walks out in front of it, and its "magic" suspension uses a camera to help smooth out bumps and ruts.But the challenge of bringing all the technology together to create a fully autonomous car is daunting.
If you exceed a D.C. speed limit by more than 25 mph, it could cost you $500; roll through a right-turn-on-red and it will cost you $100; and if you fail to stop for a pedestrian in a crosswalk, you could get a whopping $500 ticket under increases set to be reviewed by the D.C. Council this fall.
Cars are not generally required to stop for a pedestrian if the pedestrian is simply standing at the intersection, fully on the sidewalk.
